Run
by Imagination-Parade
Summary: He thought this would be easy. He thought she'd instantly be on board. He thought they'd be halfway to the airport by now. - Dexter asks Hannah to run away with him after making the Sal Price evidence disappear. AU setting, companion to my previous story "The Holiday Card"


_In my last story, I wrote a future scenario as if Dexter changed his mind about turning Hannah in and got rid of the pen, Hannah got out of jail, and they fled with Harrison at what would be the end of Season 7 on the Dexter timeline. In one of my reviews, someone commented that the most interesting part of the tale would've been the interaction between Dexter & Hannah when a.) Hannah finds out he got rid of the Sal Price evidence against her and b.) Dexter tells her he/they need to run. That wasn't what that particular story was about, but I thought about it, decided there_ was_ a potentially good story there, and wrote this. My longest Dex/Hannah story yet! Thanks for the inspiration :) And remember, in terms of Dex/Hannah, this deviates from canon pretty much after that first scene of the finale._

_As always, I own nothing!_

* * *

"Case dismissed. Ms. McKay, you're free to go," the judge said.

"You are _fucking_ kidding me!" Debra Morgan screamed as a stunned Hannah McKay stood momentarily frozen on her side of the courtroom.

"Hannah!" Arlene Schram cried, running forward as Hannah's police escort moved to free her from her handcuffs.

Hannah rubbed her wrists as she was freed and looked towards her adversary as a cold, cunning, _victorious_ smile formed on her face. _Dexter_. This only happened because of Dexter. He had chosen her. She knew it, and she knew that, deep down, Deb knew it, too. Deb narrowed her eyes at Hannah and moved forward to speak to the judge and the DA as Hannah's lawyer asked if she'd have someone to take her home once everything was finalized. Arlene volunteered, wiping tears of joy from her eyes.

"Fucking _douchebag_!" Deb suddenly yelled, storming out of the courtroom, no doubt out for her brother's blood. Arlene laughed as Deb slammed the door behind her.

"Sore loser," she muttered. Hannah laughed, too, and wrapped her friend into a hug.

Hannah McKay let out a little sigh of relief as her little pink and white house finally came into view. Arlene smiled from the driver's seat and let the cigarette hang from her lip as she gave Hannah's hand a squeeze. She pulled up outside of Hannah's house, parked the car, and pulled a little vial out of her pocket.

"Guess we don't need this anymore," Arlene said.

"No," Hannah smiled. "No, we don't."

"What would this have done to you anyway?" she asked.

"Provoked a seizure," Hannah said honestly. "The plan was to escape from the hospital."

"Shit, that sounds scary, Hannah," Arlene said.

"This was the preferable outcome," Hannah concurred with a nod and a small smile.

"I thought that lieutenant's head was going to explode when the DA recommended the charges be dropped." Arlene said with a giggle.

Hannah let out a giggle of her own, recalling the pre-arraignment conversation she'd had with Debra. "Yeah, she's not having a good day."

"How did it happen, though?" Arlene asked. "She wanted your head on a platter. Figured she'd have that pen under 24 hour surveillance or something."

"There's only one possibility. It had to have been…" Hannah started. Her gaze shifted away from Arlene as she spoke, and she caught sight of the man responsible for her case's dismissal. He sat on a small lawn chair by her side door, his son on his lap. She took a deep breath and finished, "Dexter."

Hannah climbed out of the car, slowly closing the passenger door behind her. She held Dexter's gaze for a moment before taking only two small steps towards him. That was enough for Harrison, whose little face lit up when he saw the blonde.

"Hannah!" he cried, running down the driveway to meet her.

His smile was infectious, and Hannah broke out into a radiant grin as she crouched down and opened her arms. Harrison jumped into them, and she lifted him. She wrapped her hand gently around the base of his neck and peppered his cheek with kisses.

"Hi, Harrison," she said sweetly.

"I missed you, Hannah," he said, snuggling into her side.

"I missed you, too," she said honestly, kissing his cheek again.

Arlene had turned off the car and joined her at the end of the driveway. She placed her hand on Hannah's back as Dexter stood from his place on the chair.

"Are you alright?" Arlene asked. "Do you need me to stay?"

Hannah turned to look at her. "I'm good," she promised. "Go. It's okay."

"Are you sure?" Arlene asked.

"I'm good," she repeated. "Thank you for everything."

Hannah hugged her as best she could with a toddler in her arms, and Arlene got back into her car and drove away. Hannah slowly walked up her driveway, finally meeting Dexter at the front of her home. She placed Harrison on the ground and stood up straight.

"I suppose I have you to thank for…this," Hannah said.

"Yes," Dexter confirmed.

She took a step forward, grabbed Dexter's face in both hands, and brought their lips together for a short, soft kiss.

"Change of heart?" she whispered.

"Looks that way," Dexter nodded with a small grin.

"Thank you," she said.

Hannah leaned forward to kiss him again, a little bit harder this time. Dexter pulled away quickly with a painful groan, his hand flying to his sore lip.

"I don't think my lips are really up to kissing," he said. "Your fault."

"I'm sorry," she said, reaching to caress his face. "I was mad."

"I know," he said. "It's okay."

She leaned in for one more feather-light peck and let her hands slip from his face. She spotted Harrison watching them intently and grinned. "I guess we have an audience anyway."

"That we do," Dexter said as Hannah scooped up the little boy again.

It was then that Hannah spotted the suitcases resting on her front stoop. Two large black bags rested near three smaller, more colorful ones, and Hannah looked to Dexter again, eyebrow raised.

"Are you moving in?" she asked with a facetious tone and a chuckle.

"Not exactly," Dexter said, growing visibly more nervous by the second.

"Not exactly?" she asked, her smile fading.

"We have to run," Dexter admitted. "Now."

* * *

"You have to run now, Dexter," Harry said. "You have no choice."

"I know," Dexter sighed from his place at the foot of his bed.

"Deb's going to know you took the pen. LaGuerta's already arrested you once."

"I know!"

"Then what's stopping you?"

"Deb," he said. "I can't leave her behind."

"Take her with you," Harry said.

"She couldn't live like that," Dexter said. "She's not going to be very happy with me today, anyway. She'll calm down eventually, but today? She'd never go."

"You knew one day it would come to this," Harry said. "If you can't take Debra, grab Harrison and just go."

"What kind of life is that for Harrison?" he asked. "On the run? He'd be better off here with Deb and Jamie and the people he knows, but I don't want to leave him."

"He'd be better off with _you_, Dexter," Harry told him. "You'll go somewhere safe. He's young. He'll be alright. He might not even remember Miami someday. Running was always the plan. You need to follow the plan."

"That was before," Dexter said.

"Before what?" Harry asked him.

"Before everything! Before the fake life that we created as a cover for me to kill started being real to me," Dexter said. "It's not _fake_ anymore. I don't want to lose it all."

"This is about Hannah," Harry realized.

"The DA will be forced to drop the charges. She'll be home in a few hours. She'll know it was me as well as Deb will," Dexter said. "I stole that pen for her. I put myself in this position _for her_. I don't want to lose her."

"You love her," Harry said.

"Yes," Dexter breathed. "Despite what she did, yes."

"Despite what she did…can you trust her around your son?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Dexter said, not needing to think about it. "She loves him. She won't hurt us."

"Do you think that future you envisioned with her is still possible?" Harry asked.

"Maybe," Dexter said. He sighed, defeated, and said, "Probably not here."

"So take her with you," Harry said. "Isn't that what she always wanted? Argentina?"

He didn't have time to think. He only had time to react. Harry disappeared as Dexter sprung from his place on the bed and grabbed a large black suitcase from his closet. Jamie would be back with Harrison at any moment. He could thank her for a job well done and send her off to class. The less she knew, the better.

He walked over to his dresser to pack his clothes, and a little jewelry box in the corner of the drawer caught his eye. He popped it open, not having looked at its contents since Christmas Eve. He's not even sure why he bought it. They hadn't been together long, but he liked the thoughts he had of what his future could be. For the first time, he _had_ thoughts of what his future could be. The visions he had of moving into her cozy little house, watching her tend to the plants in the greenhouse, and just generally _growing old with her_ were nice. That future was gone now, that much he knew. But maybe they could have a different type of future? He closed the lid on the diamond ring and slipped it into his bag.

"Where are we going?" the little boy asked from the back seat as they made their way to Hannah's house.

"We have to go on a trip," Dexter told him. "We just have to pick someone up first."

"Who?" Harrison asked.

"What do you think about asking Hannah to come with us?" Dexter asked.

"But Jamie said she went away," Harrison said.

"She's coming back," Dexter said. "So you think we should ask her to come?"

"Yeah!" Harrison said. "Will she say yes?"

"I hope so," Dexter said. He was quiet for the next mile or so before he asked, "What would you think if I asked Hannah to marry me?"

"Marry?" Harrison asked in confusion.

"Yeah, like…" Dexter trailed off as he realized none of the people close to Harrison were married. He suddenly felt stupid for asking a three-year-old's opinion on the matter. "It just means that she would live with us and be around always."

"Okay," Harrison said.

"That sounds okay to you?" Dexter asked. Harrison nodded as they pulled into Hannah's driveway. "You can't tell her, though, okay? It's a surprise."

"Okay," Harrison agreed.

They waited for Hannah outside of her house, and Dexter pulled Harrison up into his lap after he wandered over to some of her flowers and started playing in the dirt. He briefly considered checking on the plants in her greenhouse, but he didn't have the keys, and knew he wouldn't know what to do anyway. Arlene's car finally pulled up in front of the house, and Dexter tapped Harrison's shoulder.

"Who's here?" he whispered, pointing to the blonde visible through the passenger window. Harrison squirmed in excitement, and Dexter finally let him go when Hannah exited the car and caught his eye.

* * *

"What do you mean we have to _run_?" Hannah asked. "Dex, it's okay. The charges were dropped by the DA. Debra can't come after me for that again."

"You said if the pen disappeared, then so would we," Dexter reminded her. He thought this would be easy. He thought she'd instantly be on board. He thought they'd be halfway to the airport by now.

"And we will," Hannah promised. "Just calm down."

"She's not going to give up," Dexter said regarding Debra, realizing that was true for the first time since he swiped the pen from the evidence room. "But the running isn't about this, Hannah. It's about me."

"What do you mean?" Hannah asked. "What happened?"

"Can we go inside?" Dexter asked, eyeing Harrison.

Hannah carried Harrison into her house and set him down on the floor as Dexter shut the door behind them.

"Harrison, there should be some cookies in the kitchen over there. Why don't I go get you one?" Hannah asked. She turned to Dexter. "Is that okay?"

He nodded, so Hannah led the little boy to the kitchen, plopped him in a chair, and placed two cookies in front of him to keep him busy. She joined Dexter on the couch and asked him what happened again.

"This can't just be about the pen, right?" Hannah asked.

"No," Dexter said. "You've been in Miami for a while now, right?"

"Yeah," Hannah said.

"Do you remember the Bay Harbor Butcher case from a couple years ago?" he asked.

"All those bodies they found in the ocean, right? That was all over the news for months," Hannah said. Dexter was silent. It only took a few seconds for Hannah's mouth to drop slightly. "Well, I guess I should've put that one together."

"They were all bad people," Dexter said.

"You don't need to explain yourself to me, Dexter," she said, grabbing his hand. "Just tell me what's going on."

"A colleague who had figured me out was killed during the Butcher investigation. I let him take the fall. My captain never believed he was the real killer. I made a mistake within the last year that led to her re-opening the investigation. She arrested me yesterday for killing Estrada…which I haven't done…and the Butcher kills," he said.

"What?" Hannah asked in surprise.

"I made it look like she was framing me, so they had to let me go, but she's like Deb. She won't stop, and it's only a matter of time," Dexter said.

"So you want to disappear," Hannah said.

"That was always the plan. Before everything…Rita, Harrison, Deb finding out…falling for you…that was the plan," he said. "Plus, if I go down, Deb goes down with me, and I never wanted that. I don't see another option, but I don't want to lose you, so I came here to ask you to run with me. That was our deal, right? I get rid of the pen, and we run."

Her face hardened, and she held his gaze with her steely blue eyes while Dexter scrambled to figure out where he had gone wrong. When she finally spoke, she spoke in a callous tone and said, "So tell me something…getting me out of jail and coming here and asking me to run away with you…is that actually about me, or are you just too scared to run away alone? Are you still just protecting Debra by leaving and trying to make sure I can't go after her when you're gone? What's this really about, Dexter?"

"All the above," he admitted honestly.

"Get out," she said harshly, standing and walking towards the front door.

"Hannah…" he said, standing.

"I thought you were choosing _me_!" she cried, unconcerned about the little boy sitting within earshot of them.

"I am. I did," he said calmly. "I didn't like seeing you in jail."

"You put me there!"

"You tried to kill my sister," he said.

"You killed my father!" she said.

He froze. He had always suspected she'd known (she knew him better than he knew himself, after all,) but they'd never spoke of it directly.

"That's not the same thing," he said. "I don't want to kill Debra."

"That doesn't change the fact that you told me you loved me, welcomed me into your home with your son, and then did the one thing that you _knew_ would destroy me," she said. "You put me in _prison_, Dexter."

"And you'd still be there if I hadn't taken this," he reminded her. He pulled Sal Price's pen out of his pocket, and she walked over, snatched it away from him, and returned to her position by the door.

"I could've gotten out on my own," she sneered. "Arlene and I…we had a plan, and if that gung-ho captain of yours wants you so badly, I bet I could've traded a testimony for a nice little plea deal."

"You said you would never do that to me," Dexter reminded her.

"I would never _do it_ to you, but if it were already happening…" she taunted.

"Survival of the fittest," he said.

"Something like that," she nodded.

"I may have put you in jail, but I made a mistake, okay? I don't like what you did, but I understand why you did it. I thought getting you out would make you see that," he said.

"Put me in jail to protect your sister, get me out of jail to protect your sister..." Hannah muttered. "None of this is actually about _our_ relationship, and we had something _good_, Dexter."

"That's not true. I told you I don't know what to do without you," he said.

"You also said we couldn't trust each other. I fell for this 'let's go on a trip' thing once before, remember?" she reminded him. "Didn't work out too well for me."

"This is different," Dexter insisted.

"Why?" Hannah asked.

"Because I'm in love with you," Dexter said.

It was Hannah's turn to freeze at her partner's words. She took a deep breath, trying to stand her ground. "And?" she asked.

"Am I concerned about Deb's life if you two are left alone? Yes," he admitted. "But swiping the pen and getting you out of prison? That _was_ about you. I want you to come with me because I don't want to be away from you. You're the only place that's ever felt like home."

She knew how big these words were to Dexter and how hard these things were for him to say, so she stayed, silent and still, by her open front door. He walked over to her and gently touched her chest above her heart.

"You said it," Dexter whispered. "We could have it all. We just can't have it here anymore."

"Dexter," she softly sighed.

"Come on…" he begged. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied.

"Come with us," he said.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I don't know," Dexter said.

"Argentina?" she asked.

"Someday…eventually," he promised. "That might be the first place someone would look for us now."

"But if I go with you, we can be together?" she asked.

"Always," he said, echoing her words from their meeting in the prison. She nodded slightly and rested her forehead against his.

"Let's run," she said.

* * *

She looked nervous as Dexter sped towards the airport, fidgeting in her seat more than the impatient little boy in the backseat.

"Are you alright?" he asked her. "You weren't this freaked out when I…"

"Took me to see the snow?" she asked, aware of the little ears behind her.

"Right," he muttered.

"I know what I said," she said. "The pen can disappear and so can we. I guess I didn't really think about the reality of leaving…everything."

"Do you need some time?" he asked. "We can go, and you can meet us…"

"No," she said, shooting him a soft smile. "Arlene can take care of some loose business ends for me. I want to be with you."

"Where are we going, Daddy?" Harrison asked again.

"Yeah, Dad, where are we going?" Hannah asked.

They stood in front of the departures board at Miami International Airport, knowing they could go anywhere (outside of the US and maybe Argentina, of course.) They didn't know how much Sal Price knew about Hannah…or how much he had shared with Deb. Dexter didn't know where to go, but he knew springing for a passport for Harrison was finally proving to be a worthwhile investment.

"Come on, Dex," Hannah said. "I don't care. Just pick something."

He looked at the little weather symbols besides the international destinations and made his decision. He turned to Hannah, who was holding Harrison against her hip.

"I'm going to go get us tickets," Dexter said, gathering the big bags and leaving the carry-ons at her feet. "Why don't you two go put on something a little warmer?"

The flight to Sweden was long and dark, and Harrison spent most of it sleeping against Hannah's chest. Her legs lay bent across Harrison's empty window seat, the arm rest between Dexter and Hannah still intact. Dexter woke around hour 5 of the flight and noticed that Hannah was still awake, a troubled look on her face. She had agreed to come with him, but Dexter knew she was still feeling insecure about their relationship. Even though he was on a plane with Hannah and had left Debra behind in Miami, the hurt of his betrayal wouldn't go away instantly. He leaned up and kissed her forehead, startling her, as she hadn't noticed that he had woken up. She gave him a small smile, and he raised the arm rest between them, pulling her against his body. She snuggled against him and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

They landed in Sweden in the middle of darkness, and Hannah was already shivering by the time they climbed into a cab to take them to a hotel. Harrison still clung to her side, and the little boy promised to keep her warm.

"I told you to put on something warm," Dexter said. "That's a light jacket."

"I've never lived north of Alabama. I don't _own_ anything warmer," she said, her former Southern accent coming out on the name of her home state. "Why do you?"

"Well, I…" Dexter started.

"This was always the plan," she said, realizing the huge advantage he had in this situation. "You were prepared."

Harrison fell back to sleep almost instantly after Hannah laid him down in the fluffy white bed. Hannah joined Dexter in the other bed after a hot shower, dressed in a flannel, long-sleeved button-down stolen from Dexter's suitcase. He curled his body around hers, spooning her from behind, and began kissing her neck.

"Not the day you expected to have when you woke up in the morning, huh?" Dexter asked. Hannah chuckled, her eyes still closed.

"Not even close," she muttered as their fingers laced together. "You have to take me shopping tomorrow. I need a sweatshirt…or twenty."

"Okay," he replied between kisses.

"How long are we staying here?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said. "Why?"

"We need our own bedroom," she said. "It's been too long since we've made love."

"We could take care of that right now," he whispered, grabbing her breast through her shirt. She moaned softly and rolled on her back to look at him.

"Your son is…" she started, glancing at the bed across the room.

"Out like a light, and if anyone knows how to be inconspicuous, it's us," he said.

"Inconspicuous at _this_?" she asked with a knowing grin.

He flipped her back onto her side in response and caressed her through her thin cotton panties. She sighed, leaning her head back into Dexter's neck. He slid only the necessary clothes off of their bodies, and she rolled to face him, pulling the bed covers over their heads. They both moaned quietly as they tenderly reconnected, their eyes intently locked on each other's just like the first time they did this. She peppered kisses along his neck and jaw when she came, and they fell asleep tangled together in the sheets.

The next morning, Dexter woke her up before she was ready to be awake. Only a few seconds of consciousness passed before she shivered, instantly missing the warmth of his strong embrace. She opened her eyes and was met with the sight of Dexter smiling a smile that seemed to say he was up to something.

"You want to know why we came to Sweden?" Dexter asked. "Look outside."

She turned towards the floor-length window that led to the balcony and giggled. It was snowing. Real snow, not that fake shit that spewed through blowers at Santa's Holiday Adventure. Harrison's nose was pressed against the window, and he was bundled up like he was waiting to go outside. Dexter handed her a pair of sweatpants, a knit hat, and gloves imprinted with the name of the hotel, making it obvious he'd made a run to the hotel gift shop for her when he woke up. She pulled on the gloves, slipped on her boots, and joined Harrison at the glass door.

"Have you ever seen real snow like this?" she asked him.

"No!" he cried.

"Me neither," she replied with excitement.

Dexter opened the door, and both of his companions scurried out onto the balcony. Harrison scooped a handful of snow into his gloved palm.

"Can I eat it?" he asked.

Both adults laughed, and Dexter told him he could. Harrison shoved the entire pile of snow into his face, eliciting more laughter, and Hannah wiped off the remnants that didn't quite make it to his mouth.

"Was it good?" she asked. Harrison nodded. "Should we try to catch some on our tongues?" Harrison nodded again, and they both stuck out their tongues and looked towards the sky while Dexter hung back towards the door and watched.

Harrison walked back over to Dexter as Hannah walked up to the edge of the balcony, watching the snow fall across the city. Her nose was growing colder by the second, and the white flakes stuck to everything – her hat, her clothes, her hair – and she loved it. He could've picked any city in the world, but he brought them here, just so she could see a real snowfall. She turned around to thank Dexter for giving her this, her smile glowing, when she found Harrison wrapped in his father's arms, a jewelry box in his hand. The box contained a sparkling diamond ring, and she looked at Dexter in astonishment.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked.

"Yup," he nodded.

"Dexter," she sighed. It wasn't a complete surprise. They had talked about the future and them being together, and they _did_ just run away together, but the timing of it was the real bombshell.

"I am one hundred percent sure about you," he said simply.

She covered her mouth with her hand as she moved towards him, remembering their argument on Christmas Eve. "When did you buy…?"

"Before Christmas," he told her.

"Why give it to me now?" she asked.

"We started in the snow. Seemed…appropriate," he said.

"There was nothing _appropriate_ about that night," she quipped.

"Are you going to answer my question?" Dexter asked her.

"I don't think I've actually _heard_ a question yet," she replied with a grin. She looked at Harrison. "Did he ask me a question?"

"No," Harrison said, looking at his father in anticipation.

Dexter rolled his eyes, complied with their wishes, and said, "Will you marry us?"

"One hundred percent?" she asked softly.

"One hundred percent," he confirmed. "I asked you to run away with me, Hannah. Say yes."

She grabbed Dexter's face and pulled him in for a kiss before moving to Harrison and kissing his forehead as well. She pulled off her left glove, nodded, and whispered, "Yes."

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_


End file.
